A Social Worker's Thoughts on Child Protection Social Work

Child protection is a myriad of different experiences. Sad, joyous, shocking, and scary are just a few descriptors. There are not many jobs where you get to encounter uniquely different situations every day. These situations can bring out a wide array of emotions from joy to anger. To manage these situations and emotions, supervision is one of the most important tools we have. There is no one approach or perfect practice to strive for; each situation demands its own assessment and tactic. Just as no one worker is perfect, no one system is perfect. If you can live with all of this, you will discover that child protection is an awesome job.

Each day is different, and each case calls for different skills. Day to day, I travel to schools, hospitals, homes, police stations, parks, community centers, malls, libraries, and lots of McDonald’s restaurants. Day to day, I bring up difficult and bizarre subjects with people about their sex lives and sexual interests, childhood experiences, criminal pasts, thoughts about parenting, life goals, vacation plans, hobbies, romantic relationships, intelligence, religion, food preferences, and even their favorite movies and TV shows. No subject or location is off limits if it is relevant to a child and a child’s safety. I often start my day sitting at my desk, and through the course of the day I may end up being called to a school and then a police station. Next thing I know, I am sitting at a hospital at 8 p.m. There is no end to the possibilities and situations I might find myself in.

One youth I worked with had me start my day sitting with her in court, waiting for her no-contact application to be heard, and then ended with me taking her shoe shopping and dropping her off at her placement. Another report called for me to take a child to the airport, which was three hours away, at 5 a.m. to catch a plane back to the child’s father.

The wide scope of our job often brings out a wide array of emotions. At times, it is difficult to keep these emotions in check. I have lost my temper with a client. I have cried with and for a client. I have been sarcastic with a client. I have cared deeply about a client. I have laughed at and with a client. And I have been attracted to a client.

Don’t be afraid to laugh with a client. Child protection can be so serious at times. Don’t forget to show clients that you are a real person. Once, I had to drive a mother of an infant to a forensic medical appointment at a specialized hospital. During the car ride, she was anxious and nervous about her exam, and I had been talking to her about what to expect and trying to calm her. During a moment of silence, I sang a verse from the song on the radio under my breath. She started to sing it quietly, too. I turned the volume up, and we sang the song loudly together, laughing.

It is sometimes difficult to remain level headed when you are involved in a complex and highly volatile situation. Parenting is a deeply personal thing, and most people have strong feelings and opinions about it. When the situation calls for it, separating a mother and father from their children can be the hardest part of the job. There are lots of emotions surrounding the removal of a child—relief, fear, and doubt about whether you are making the best decision are just a few. I don’t think there are any social workers who can look back and be certain of every decision they have made in every situation. Sometimes, the only thing you can do is go home at night and reflect that you made the best decision with the information you had at the time.

The wide array of emotions needs to be untangled. For me, an important part of child protection has always been supervision and debriefing. If you cannot discuss and examine details of a case at length with a supervisor who is smarter or more experienced than you, you will burn out. One way to process information is through talking and examining situations, and child protection is no exception to the process.

I have often thought that child protection social workers should have partners, like police officers do—one person you can conduct meetings and investigations with, one person to bounce ideas off of, and two assessments of each situation. Child protection work should not be done in isolation, and having two people’s views can only strengthen the assessment. This also allows for comradery and the feeling that someone else has shared your experience, traumatic or happy. There is a comfort in that.

Regular supervision provides the ability to talk about and look at your experiences from different perspectives. A good supervisor allows you to talk about your personal feelings about a situation and reflect on what could be done differently. The more years I work in child protection, the more I realize it is more important to have a good supervisor you respect and trust than to have a higher paying prestigious position.

There is no one theory or approach that works in each situation. Each person and situation is different, and the best we can do is to be flexible and meet the clients where they are. Seek advice from experienced workers if you are having trouble, and be able to acknowledge when what you are doing is not working.

These are my experiences, and I am writing as an average child protection social worker. I am not advocating a particular approach to practice, and I am not advocating you practice as I do. My practice is not always spot on, and no one is perfect. I hope that you can learn from your own and others’ experiences. Child protection is a difficult job for many reasons.

I used to wonder why my 20-year-old self would choose this as a career path. Why would I purposely subject myself to people who are in constant emotional pain, and to children who are physically hurt or killed by the people who are supposed to love and protect them? Why did I choose to work with children who are sexually abused by adults who justify and minimize what they do, or people who live in severe poverty and can’t afford to eat or pay the rent, people who are angry…so angry?

When I am asked, “Why did you become a child protection social worker?” the best answer I can give is that I saw children who were hurting and in need of help, and child protection is one way western society attempts to address this problem. It isn’t the best way, as evidenced by the fact that there is recurrent generational trauma of child abuse/neglect and that 80% of the work we do is with the same 20% of families. But it is the best we have from intake to investigation to court.

A co-worker who was writing a court report shouted from his desk, “How do you spell masturbate?” After a pause, he said, “We have the best job ever.”

He is right.

Cathy Lipke, MSW, graduated with her BSW degree in 2005 in British Columbia, Canada. She worked in child protection for six years in Northern rural communities. In 2010, she graduated with her MSW degree and moved to Australia to practice child protection. Cathy has moved back to British Columbia and resumed her work in child protection.

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Comments (13)

Child Protection work

I have been at my local department for 17 years and in the last three years have worked in CPS. Your article makes a great point about 2 assessors looking at each situation. At our department we do go out in the field and complete assessments as CPS teams, and it is so helpful when one can conduct an interview and the other can take notes, observe other things going on in the home etc. 2 heads are better than one and if a removal is to take place the burden is on the "team" not just the worker assigned the case.

Nancy Reasin112 days ago

Child Protection

Well written in a very robust way covering almost every area of child protection cases.

Princes Petronella Dallas-coboy186 days ago

Safety

Great and accurate article. I would also like to mention the dangerous daily situations social workers place themselves with little to no resources to help keep them safe. Also, secondary and vicarious trauma are very real. Sometimes the mental health of the social worker is a last priority.

Kimberly187 days ago

If only!

If only more people understood this your job as "social worker" would not be so misunderstood. My daughter does this job and tells me how important it is to her, she may as well have written this as she has explained to me verbatim what her job means to her. I agree the "partner" idea is a wonderful idea and should be explored . Bless you and your heart for doing this, it's not a job everyone can do.

Jeanne Tidswell248 days ago

I am acquiring to achieve my BSW in Social work

I admire people who are real and genuine from the hearts of heart and you're right about how much you can do and how much you are faced with but you all strive to provide a wide variety of generosity, I can only hope to be a special gift as you all are to humanity. I honor you all for just being a human being who exudes empathy and compassion 😊

Charollett Dunstan 277 days ago

Thanks

Thanks for your article. I only have one comment--it's about the supervisors. Supervisors do not need to be "smarter" or "more experienced" to be a good supervisor. I have been supervising for many years now, and I would have to say I'm not always smarter than the folks I supervise. In fact, many times I am the one learning something new. In my humble opinion, what makes me good at my job is that I recognize I'm not smarter or that I'm not always right. I think I offer support in whatever way I can, and I listen to my workers. I advocate for their needs so they can advocate for their clients. I look for teaching moments, and accept the ones that come to me. I debrief, I encourage, I micro-manage when they need me to, I provide learning opportunities when they need me to, I engage, I direct, I teach, and I use humor each and every day. I have successfully supervised new workers, and I have successfully supervised workers who have been old enough to be my mother! I have supervised cases where the issues are so far beyond what I have ever learned about, and ones that, at this point in time, seem old hat. I learn and continue to grow with each experience I have. Supervising is very different than front-line work--a good supervisor wasn't always a good front-line worker, and a good front-line worker doesn't always make a good supervisor! Leadership, communication, and a good understanding of how child protection impacts front-line workers are key components of being a good supervisor.

Child Protection has good days and bad days--but you're right, it is a great job. I go to bed every night knowing that I have inspired others to work for the best interest of the children in our community. I know that we are making a difference for children. We cannot save them all, which can sometimes be tough to handle, but we do help some. It's not for everyone, that's for sure, but it can be a wonderfully rewarding job for a lot of people! Thanks for doing what you do.

a matheson290 days ago

Child protectionsupervisor

A Matheson you sum up beautifully what a supervisor should be. There needs to be far more training in this area. CP workers all know your supervisor can make or break you !

Caryl S-K186 days ago

Social Workers: Professional and Human

Hi Cathy, and thanks for your article. It is great to hear about young people in the field who are observant, keen and with the energy one needs. Your insight is marvelous. I am a Social Worker in Youth Justice for 28 years now and recall the occasional classroom experience at University that still included a preference towards 'not being' yourself on the job. A lesson I am thankful was one I never agreed with. I have often said that those in our line of work need to keep their humanity and their sense of humor. It is truly about understanding where people come from and how normal many of their feelings and experiences truly are. You are in child protection - a judged specialization in our field. You describe it with the love and compassion that most Child Protection Social Workers bring with them to the job, and vital they keep. There is a substantial difference between good supervision and a lack of the same and I presume you have a good one. A partner - what a great idea. The decisions made in the field are to important in the lives of those we serve to make independently or lightly. This is my first time finding this page. I look forward to reading more articles.

Beth Alkenbrack291 days ago

Thank You

I have been contemplating redirecting my career from Behavioral Health to Child Protection. I'm living in the Phoenix, Az area. CPS has been in the news for years. The horrific acts of cruelty that has been done to children is heart breaking. I'm afraid I'd either be fired or arrested because of what I'd see. How do you keep your emotions in check?I understand Boundries and all the self- guards we put into place. There is such a shortage of CPS workers in the Phoenix,Az area where would you start

Kristie Paulus291 days ago

Lovely article

I'm a 3rd year SW student, in Youth offending team. Today I had my mid review and I can completely agree with the main majority of things you have said! I'm terrified about becoming a newly qualified SW & the responsibility we have a SW. I am not sure if I am brave enough to go into safeguarding team for children because of the complexities and sadness the job can bring. I am looking forward to helping and supporting service users in the future to come and I'm definitely looking forward to learning more. Thank you again for an inspiring article

Sahira Akram318 days ago

Wonderful Piece

I liked reading this piece. Not only was it well written but it reflected our work very well. I have worked in child welfare for five years and I often tell people I do the most important, least appreciated job in British Columbia. I have been fortunate because I have had good supervisors who helped me develop and grow. However, the work has certainly taken its toll on me. I could not agree more about the author's comment regarding protection workers being paired like police officers often are. Early in my career I worked on the gulf islands-a chain of islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland-where I was paired with another worker. She and I became very close. One part of this work that is often overlooked or not recognized is how incredibly lonely it can be. We are not able to share our days because of confidentiality and often the parts we can share others do not want to hear. Having an investigator and a family service worker paired makes sense from a clinical perspective because the narrative can be retained over a greater period of time. It makes sense to families because it takes some of the mystery away from the system and lessens the 'revolving door' phenomenon. I think that, paired with good supervisors, would make for a much better and safer system that would likely be more stable.

Many thanks to the author for writing this article and to the NS for allowing me the opportunity to reflect upon it here.

Scott Dennis329 days ago

gratitude

Thank you for writing such a thoughtful article on CPS work. I enjoyed it. Your thoughts fit well with my recovery from 29 years of Child Protective Service.

Larry Earl Wraight329 days ago

Mirrors a Child Protection Social Worker

Awesome article that clearly demonstrate being a child protection worker that defines our practice from other fields in social work. I have been working with children in sex trafficking in the Philippines and this story reflects many of my experience in the field, from investigation, rescue operation, litigation, recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration with families and communities. The article captures such experience the difference perhaps is the cultural context which is diverse in different parts of the world. Supervision and debriefing i agree are vital approach in honing our capacities and nurturing ourselves to be in our best in this field, but more so in caring for ourselves as person constantly at the center of complicated emotions, behavior and safety risks. Something i look forward to in the next issues of The New Social Worker.

Vivian Escoton330 days ago

Readers React

All of these are beautiful suggestions and regular practice can greatly decrease suffering. But, as